Russell believes Verstappen collision 'felt deliberate'

Red Bull's Max Verstappen received three penalty points for purposely causing a collision with Mercedes' George Russell, putting the Dutchman within one penalty point of a race disqualification.

Red Bull instructed Verstappen to give Russell the position back after he left the track to maintain his fourth-place position. Verstappen then hit Russell on Lap 64 while the Englishman was in the process of overtaking the Red Bull driver.

"It felt deliberate," Russell said post-race on Sky Sports. "Max is such an amazing driver and so many people look up to him. It's just a shame something like that continues to occur. It just seems totally unnecessary and it never seems to benefit himself."

Verstappen originally finished fifth before dropping to 10th because of a 10-second time penalty. It's the 27-year-old's worst finish since 2017 and the first time in his career that he's not finished on the podium in Spain.

Verstappen declined to speak about the collision after the race.

"I prefer to speak about the race, not just one single moment," the 27-year-old said on Sky Sports.

Drivers are given a one-race ban for receiving 12 or more penalty points in a 12-month span. Verstappen now has 11.

Formula 1 will take a week break before going to Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix.